Reviews of Oyédo (2000)
by Diptyque

One thing is sure. It’s not another boring hesperidic scent. Uplifting, opening, with a cocktail of citrus (lemon, orange, mandarin, grapefruit) but not the kind of citrus, scents usually start with. It’s sweet, tart and fruity but overall quite synthetic. Reminds me of lemon-orange candy drops, or lifesavers as others already said.Then comes the thyme note which is very clear, but not really herbal and green thanks to the citrus. The base is more on the exotic side, no woods , just thyme, orange and maybe some lemongrass but still soft and pleasant . Unisex but more feminine, definitely a daywear scent with good longevity. Fresh and joyful, however it fails to please all citrus scent lovers.

Very weird. Starts out as tart lime mixed with herbs, then becomes powdery without ever becoming sweet. Comparisons to Tang and unsweetened Kool-Aid powder make sense. Very fresh. Androgynous more than unisex -- I really can't picture the person this perfume would suit. Dries down to something that smells like warm grape soda. It has its charms -- warm grape soda isn't an unpleasant thing to smell -- but I can't think of a reason to wear it.

An oddity, this one. Starts out very sticky-sweet orangy - like the prefab orange lemonade that has nothing to do with orange, the fruit - but in its artifice lies its charm, as well. Almost immediately an oddly "dirty" note starts underpinning the sweetness, saving the scent from diabetic coma. A bit longer in the "dirty" note reveals itself as thyme. The thyme is quite overpowering on my skin, which makes this one unique frag: I can't think of any other scent with such a pronounced and true thyme accord. On the other hand, the thyme *does* come across as foody: I keep getting cravings for barbecue marinades.

A definite thumbs up for anyone who finds classis citrus frags unexciting - though it comes with a warning label: may not please every nose.

This one's a very interesting citrus for me - the opening is zesty, sweet and fresh with a hint of detergent. There is also a very light muguet-fresh jasmine like floral wafting through, bringing a tender, elegant companion note. It sounds synthetic but it is a very light, happy and likeable accord. The herbs and woods emerge and lend it a slight bitter edge in the middle - this is not an ordinary herbal-wood accord, but one that reminds me of the smell of old paper that has turned dank in the humidity. It is a strangely compelling scent, alternatively "clean" like the smell of paper and wood shavings, but I can see how it can turn into a suggestion of "BO" on the wrong person. The two intertwine and play off each other throughout the drydown, with the herbal-wood dominating as the hours pass.

It is odd and familiar, lovely, fresh and "wilted", young and "old", feminine and masculine - a juxtaposition of perceptions. I adore it, and it is a lot of fun to wear.

When I was little I used to secretly eat raspberry jello dry out of the package, and sometimes the powder would get into my nose where it registered as especially tart and strange: I loved it, it was wonderful. This scent brought back that experience vividly and made me laugh with pleasure. It is also similar to inhaling dry raspberry koolaid while stirring the contents of the packet into the water; does koolaid even still exist? After awhile I smell lemon lime instead of raspberry, and enjoy it all over again. This may smell good on somebody, I don't know, but I keep it just to remind myself of several momentary pleasures of childhood.

It promised me of grapefruit, but after a few minutes on my skin all I got was a strange stinging accord with a spunk that was not the least pleasant on me.

Though initially there is a blast of tart citrus, Oyedo soon sits on my skin in a hazey fog of sweet orange candy. The hard kind that you suck on or break with your teeth. This candy stage lasts for quite some time--it's 7 hours since I applied Oyedo and the sweet orange is still there, though now it's softened and dried with a thin bit of balsa wood, and some green and woody fragrant herbs. The whole composition is very light, but not lightweight if that makes any sense. The fragrance has some oomph, it's compelling, and calls to me to keep sniffing, to see where it will go nextI I'm definitely enjoying the journey.

I love this. Definitely one of the most compelling citrus creations ever.

For the first two or three hours this smells very much like a bowl full of ripe slices of limes plus wild strawberries with leaves. Few dabs of fresh of mint there, too. And yet perhaps a small glassful of sweet cranberry soda.

Indeed, Oyedo has a very clear and wonderfully natural smelling strawberry accord in it. I am surprised it hasn’t got more attention.

Dry down develops a bit more tart and green scent. Reminds me the way gooseberry bush smells after warm and heavy summer rain.

Highly recommended. In fact, you MUST at least try this.

Oyedo is quite unique, juicy and very natural smelling. It is full of good health and well being. It can really remind you how good it feels to be alive.

A bit more towards feminine side, that is true, but still easily wearable for men too. Incredibly strong and it lasts at least 12 hours

This was my first Diptyque fragrance and I love it. It reminds me of the smell of orange groves at the height of summer. It gives me a psychological lift at any time of the year. It's nice to layer this fragrance with the shower gel and shampoo. The Oyedo candle is also fantastic!

Tart candied lime. Really bright and open in the begining but has terrible lasting power. I love fresh, citrus scents but this one failed to impress me. It doesn't feel fresh or happy like most citrus scents do. Shame.

Bizarre fizzy, earthy, orangey, limey soda pop, sweet yet dry. Utterly mystifying. I feel like this fragrance is trying to trick me...............but i dont mind, it's kinda fun.

I love the sandalwood scented Tam Dao, and when my bottle of it ran out, I thought I would purchase another Diptyque, Philosykos.
But I ended up purchasing Oyedo.

I live in a hot climate, in Southern California, and this time of year, it is still over 100F. Oyedo has a refreshing grapefruit and citrus scent with a perceptible bite of something herbal. It is a Mediterranean blend that brings forth images of citrus groves, cloudless blue skies, bright sunlight and hot, dry weather.

I haven't gotten a reaction from other people yet, but I suspect that this is not a sexy smell. It is a clean, bracing, fruity and androgynous creation that still has the unique oddity characteristic of Diptypque. Nothing from this fragrance house is ever expected or predictable.

Oyedo is in that eccentric tradition.

Nothing I have tried by Diptyque can be considered a conventional fragrance Every scent pushes the envelope (and in a different direction) and Oyédo is no exception. To me the opening smells like grape soda. Grape soda has an artificial grape smell to it, but somehow it draws me in. I think others have likened it to Japanese muscat candies (which I have never smelled). The next thing that hits me is lime with undertones of thyme. Lime dominates the rest of the development after the grape fades away. It is intense and biting, but somehow it feels comfortable and captivating. Somehow I feel I should be hating this scent, but instead I am liking it a lot. Finally I get some faint smoky undertones.

Will I buy Oyédo? No; I can't see wearing it,except on a rare day when I feel a tad crazy. I don't know for whom it is best suited. Perhaps a sharp, mature teenage girl: I can picture that. Regardless, I think Oyédo is interesting and well-done, even if a bit odd and for that I commend it!

This starts off with the zestiest lime note imaginable, joined mere seconds later by something that smells a lot like menthol. Yes, as in Vick's VapoRub. I love it! I wish the top notes would last forever.

In due course, as one might expect, the menthol calms down and the accord begins to smell like muscat candy. This phase is also quite nice as long as the citrus is able to maintain its hold. It's only when the candy note begins to take over in the final stages of the dry down that I begin to lose interest. Smelling like candy might be nice when you're eight years old, but that train, I'm afraid, left the station a long time ago.

I still love this fragrance, though, for its creativity, uniqueness, and infectious sense of fun. I think everybody should try it at least once.

Detergent people are always thinking of something new to consume, however pointless it may be. Say, cotton candy scented fabric softener. "Yeah, great idea, let’s make a sticky-sweet-synthetic-citrus-fresh fabric softener. But guess what, we'll test-market it as a niche fragrance." This was designed by one sick puppy of a nose. On the drydown it gets to smell like very hops-heavy beer spilled over a barroom floor the preceding night. Actually, that is nearly an improvement. One of the all-time lows of niche perfumery.

I am a huge citrus fan and I like everything from Light Blue, to Eau d’Hadrien, to Bigarade Concentree (plus I have many Diptyque candles) so I was all prepared to love Oyédo . Unfortunately, Oyédo was flat and disappointing with a distinctive overlay of sweetish powdery notes which obscured any meaningful citrus smell. To my nose, Oyédo is a close fragrance kin to my local grocery store’s house brand of lemon scented fabric softener, which is not a compliment.

There is no zing or fun at all with Oyédo . As I smelled it, I just kept thinking “generic boring sweet lemon”. Yawn. For comparison purposes, I spritzed Etro’s Lemon Sorbet on my other wrist which was decidedly lemony, spicy and stylish, in contrast.

Marlen’s right…Lifesaver time. Like a tangerine and a lime lifesaver in the mouth at the same time. But it lasts a lot longer than the Lifesavers last. At least with Lifesavers, if you don’t like them, you just spit them out… of course, the fragrance is not as bad as all that and I don’t feel the need to wash it off, but it certainly is not what I want to smell like—a couple of sharp, syrupy sweet Lifesavers. The thyme does a good job of BEGINNING TO tone down the citrus exuberance, but, to my taste, there needs to be a lot more toning down. And the wood in the base does not project very much, but it is a very nice wood accord. Oyédo is a fun scent — very good quality ingredients, excellent construction, and great longevity. I could see this fragrance being deservedly appreciated by many people …just not by me.

Sweet sweet citric candy. Such a thick sweetness, go with 2 sprays and you're set for the day. It's funny to see people describe it as lifesaver-like, because that's exactly what comes to mind when Oyedo is first sprayed. Orange lifesaver, indeed. A great scent, but difficult to wear as an everyday-citrus.

thyme and mandarine
simple fresh but a little bit too linear

Bizarre take on grapefruit. I really like its crispness, its odd soapy/fruity qualities and its herbal/citrus-y dry-down, really I do. Still, I just can't imagine wearing it. Not many men could pull this one off -- I give kudos to those who can. (And I wear Shalimar.)

Gorgeous sweet fresh citrusy one but like jelly babie one.
Very unisex
i adore it

Well, it started out like candy, and that didn't bother me too much. Then, it went away completely, and that didn't bother me too much. Then it came back with a vengeance, the herbal accord smelling like intense BO, and it wouldn't go away. And, that really bothered me. So, I tried it again, and I suffered through the same terrifying experience. This is my first Diptyque scent, so I guess there is nowhere to go but up.

The best citrus fragrance I have come across so far!

While most smell like either a barbershop cologne, slight floral or simply too generic, this one really is unique. Its opening is quite zesty, while its sweetness serves to create a delicious balance with the sharp citrus notes. Its longevity well exceeds most citrus frags I’ve tried (at least 6 hours), although it does stay closer to the skin as the hours pass (I suppose it’s the subtle woody notes that makes this possible).

Everyone constantly raves about Tam Dao and Philosykos, but Oyedo is just as unique (and astounding) as these two.

Oyédo is a unique citrus/aromatic fragrance for sure, it's definitely more feminine than masculine. It's interesting enough, that all lovers of this type should at least give it a try. It is definitely more suitable for casual pursuits. At the onset, yes, I can smell the connections others have made to Fruit Loops and gum drops but I feel it opens up more broadly than that. I instantly fell in love with the tangerine, (yuzu)? and lime accord which is pure, non-western sunshine in a bottle. The dryness of the lime and thyme combination keeps the lot from becoming too sweet for me--although there has to be a sweet floral note that's not listed in there. I found myself being reminded of L'Eau de L'Artisan sans its fanfare basil-mint accord and replaced with a more subdued, sweet(ish)-herb green and slight, (cedar)? drydown. This is one of those, "don't overdo it, although it's light" fragrances, although you may find yourself wanting to reapply it quite often. I would probably choose L'Eau de L'Artisan before Oyédo. I'm giving it a thumbs up though, because it is just so unique.

Yuzu, herbs, blast of citrus. Sharp sparkle, lift-me-up-give-me-hope, then a disappointing drydown.
Wet fruit washed with strong soap, left to dry in the sun. Stays at mid-note with a vengence. And stays and stays. The body wash is lovely. I use it to wash my delicates and its a great fresh feel.

excellent! sweet and candy-like but at the same time not cloyingly so, its very fresh and aqueous, also has a bit of a "cool" feeling to it. totally wearable by a man, i've gotten many compliments on it

Yuck...smells like a lefesaver. Absolutely did not work for me and even on a test strip, this is nothing that I want to smell like.

Pleasant enough but not particularly masculine. I found it to be somewhat sweet and reminiscent of hard candy or gum drops. Absolutely more suited for Woman.

Oyedo was the original name for Tokyo. It is strong citrus scent with a main note of yuzu. A number of herbs are in the background and the scent is extremely long lasting for a citrus fragrance.